Kotaku East

The Newest Ghost in the Shell Explores Romance in a Cyborg World

This past weekend saw the release of the third part of Ghost in the Shell Arise in theaters across Japan. And while it is still full of all the cyberpunk police action you’ve come to expect from the franchise, Ghost Tears also delves into what romance is like in a cybernetic society. Good – Interesting…

Japanese Superhero Show Copies Batman’s Gotham City

Kamen Rider Gaim, the latest entry in the long-running Kamen Rider series, is quite interesting. It’s samurai-themed, but uses fruit motifs throughout the show. That no longer raises eyebrows among viewers. A recent map that appeared on the show, however, does. Kamen Rider Gaim takes place in a fiction city called Zawame. On a recent…

A Week with Pokémon Art Academy Actually Improved My Drawing Skills

When I first sat down with Pokémon Art Academy over a week ago, I decided to do a little experiment. I drew the first three drawings of the game freehand on a notepad as I came across them. Then today, I tried again—and I’m truly surprised at the improvement. It’s funny, as I was drawing…

Cosplay Porn Outfits Fetching Thousands of Dollars

Yes, cosplay porn is a thing. But some of the costumes are rather well done. And people are willing to pay top dollar, er, yen, for the used outfits. Note: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. Adult movie company ZIZ Entertainment recently auctioned off several costumes featured in its cosplay-themed pornos Taimanin…

Men Dress Up as Dragon Ball Characters, Then Make a Rap Video

Because, really, why the heck not? Obviously, this is more interesting if you understand Japanese, but the refrain is in English, so there’s that. The whole thing is rather charming. These gents are actually comedians whose schtick is that they dress up as Dragon Ball characters. They’ve appeared on television, doing their DB bits (here,…

​Chinese Counterfeiters Misspell Japanese Beer Brands

Doh! If you are going to try to fool Japanese people, it’s very important not to make simple Japanese language fails. Two of the biggest Japanese beer brands are Asahi and Kirin. According to 47 News, a 44 year-old Chinese national was recently arrested in Tokyo after it was discovered he was allegedly importing phoney…

No Hands, Pants On!

Pants. I don’t like them, but I have to wear them. I’m sure some of you feel the same too. And putting on pants has always been so boring. At least until now! Blowing up online in Taiwan is a new video starring Taiwanese internet sensation Lai Lai Ge. Literally, his online handle is “Come…

In Tokyo, There’s a Second-Hand Shop for Booze

Across Japan, there is a chain of second-hand shops called Hard Off. There is also a used book retailer known as Book Off. And now, there’s also a store specializing in second-hand alcohol called Liquor Off Located in Tokyo, Liquor Off wants to buy your unwanted booze. No wonder the shop says “Please sell” in…

Look At All Those Chinese Products In Transformers 4

Transformers: Age of Extinction’s been out only a weekend and it’s already making bank in China. There’s no getting around the fact that a movie based on a line of toys is anything more than a major vehicle for product placement—including Chinese product placement, especially with the movie partly set in China. Now, I’m going…

Hire a League of Legends Tutor in South Korea

Maybe you play online League of Legends. Maybe you suck. And maybe you wish there was a way to get better. Well, in South Korea there is. According to gaming site Gamemeca (via tipster Sang), a Korean company is rolling out a new service called “Punching” that enlists eSport athletes to give players tips in…

For Some Folks, “Side Mouth” Ruins Anime Faces

You know how sometimes anime characters have mouths on the side of their faces? Does that bother you? Or are you totally cool with that? Recently on 2ch, Japan’s largest internet forum, a thread disc popped up on how this anime mouth style is “upsettingly gross.” Below, you can see the drawing the original commenter…

Chinese Press Claim Xbox One Will Cost $800 In China

The Xbox One is coming to China! In September to be exact. The biggest question now is how much the Xbox One will cost once it launches in the Middle Kingdom, and Chinese media is suggesting that the price will be… EXTREME! Chinese online electronics site Zol.com posted a photo detailing the price of the…

Yesterday Was a Highly Unusual Day in Japan

A handful of incidents happened yesterday in Japan. Some of them were truly awful and others were odd or surprising. On Twitter, people have been rounding up them as “The Incidents of June 29” (６月２９日の出来事). Let’s have a look. Note: This article contains content that some readers might find objectionable. [Photo: Straits Times] The day…

Chinese Monster Hoax Wasn’t Really Gollum, But a Video Game Ad

Earlier this week, a Chinese man was camping with friends in the Huairou region when he seems to have spotted a monster-like creature that somewhat resembled Gollum from Lord of the Rings. The man said he was “terrified.” He snapped photos and uploaded them online. They spread like wildfire. According to Taiwanese site ET Today,…

Watch As I Attempt to Draw Pokémon

I may be the single worst artist on the face of the planet. So let’s see if Pokémon can teach me to draw in Pokémon Art Academy Pokémon Art Academy was released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS on June 19, 2014. It will be released in Europe on July 4, 2014; Australia and New…

No Game No Life is a Must Watch for Any Gamer

What happens when you take two expert gamers and drop them into a fantasy world where everything is centered around games? You get the smart, beautiful, funny, and just plain all-around enjoyable No Game No Life Good – Two Sides of the Same Coin No Game No Life is the story of a brother and…

The Destruction of Tokyo’s Geek District Looks Like This

One day, this will all end. All of it. Even Tokyo’s geek center, Akihabara. But what will that day look like? Perhaps, something like this. Tumblr site Little Treasures, which often posts composite and digitally altered pics, recently uploaded these two images. Both were titled, “Akihabara.” Fantastic. It’s like something out of Akira. Here you…

Fighting game Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena is being turned into a stage play. Film director Shutaro Oku, who previously directed the Persona 4 theatrical production, is helming the production. It will be written by Jun Kumagai, who wrote Persona 4: The Animation as well as the Persona 3 and Persona 4 plays.…

Inside South Korea’s Penis Restaurant

If you miss the sign in Pocheon City for the restaurant Deolmusae, no worries. You can always look for the giant erect penis. Think I’m joking? Note: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. Nope! Not joking! [Photo: Joins] Yes, I believe that’s a dick oven. Wait until you see the wall map…

Nintendo’s Student-made Wii U Games are Full of Imagination

The Nintendo Games Seminar is an annual program where teams of college students are given weekly classes on game development from Nintendo. Over the course of eight months, the groups design and build their own game. And now, last year’s four games are available for free on the Japanese Wii U’s eShop. The first game…